Fiji Time

Jun 22nd. I make my way to the Airport in Auckland and then hang around waiting for my flight. The flight is uneventful apart from when we are coming in to land - the plane banks steeply and some kids (and some adults as well) make some whoa noises which isn't really helpful. After touching down the heat is quite oppressive - I have to be a typical English person and complain about it - stepping into 32 degrees isn't great. My phone decides it doesn't want to pick up the local network which doesn't help but as soon as I head out to the Yasewa Islands then there is no coverage anyway. I have a nice meal at the hotel I am staying at - Snapper with veggies in a Thai sauce - very Fijian but also very nice - I am looking forward to trying lots of seafood while I am here. Internet access may be limited (if non existant) so it could be a while before I update this blog. I shall enjoy my beach time, scuba diving, hikin on the islands and sampling the local culture while I am there. Sweet.

Off to Fiji I go

Jun 22nd. It is off to Fiji I go - don't know if I will have internet access on the islands themselves but I am spending 1 night by Nadi airport before heading to the Octopus Resort on Waya Island (part of the Yasewa island group). Should be sweet.

My New Zealand Top 10 Activities

In no particular order, but here are my 10 favourite things I did whilst in NZ.

Skydiving in Taupo
Franz Josef Glacier Walk
Tongariro Crossing
Kayaking with dolphins on Stewart Island
Day walk on the Routeburn Track
Milford Sound
Doubtful Sound
Black Water Rafting in Waitomo
Abel Tasman Kayaking
Whale Watching in Kaikoura

No room in there for Roy's peak walk by Wanaka, Mt Cook/Tasman Glacier, Mt Hood by Lake Tekapo. Many more cool things as well.

Final Day in New Zealand

Jun 21st. Well, this is my final full day in New Zealand, I am flying to Fiji tomorrow at 13:00 and will be basking in the sunshine. Nothing exciting is planned for today apart from sending a package home with some stuff I don't need (including my Skydive DVD so family can laugh at my hamster cheeks during freefall). I also sort out a new book so I have enough reading material and do my washing - really thrilling way to spend the last day. The heavens open and it is raining pretty heavily in Auckland and a cold weather front is expected later so probably it is a good idea to be getting out of here. I have had an amazing time in New Zealand and will be coming back soon. Such a diverse country with so much packed into a small-ish space.

Up to Auckland

Jun 20th. It is sad to be leaving Taupo - had a great time there and met some cool people. Still managing to get a buzz from thinking about the skydive. I head down to the coach station and board the bus to Auckland - There unfortunately is a small child on the bus who persists in crying for the majority of the 5 hour journey - guaranteed just when I was nodding off. I arrive in Auckland feeling a little jaded but cheer myself up by buying some curly wurlies. These could be the last curly wurlies of my trip which is a depressing thought. I spend the evening doing some admin tasks - burning photo CD, uploading photos onto my iPod. What a fantastic day, at least it is warmer in Auckland than Taupo.

More Skydiving Pics

Couple of pics of me during the descent. Note the earth is round and you can see Mount Doom with its snow capped peaks in the distance. Wow.

Sky Diving

Jun 18th. I sneak a peak out of the curtains and it is bright blue skies with not a cloud in sight. Today is the day that I am jumping out of a plane at 15,000 feet. I feel mainly excited and just want to get on with it. There is a bit of hanging around so I read a bit of my book. The nerves start to kick in a little when we are on the bus to the airport. We get checked in and then kitted up. My tandem buddy is Elad from Israel who has 8000 jumps under his belt so I am in safe hands. We get on to the plane and head up into the sky. My heart is racing a bit as we get higher and higher but the views from the plane are outstanding. You can appreciate how large lake Taupo is from up here and we can see Mount Doom (now covered in snow) in the distance. A perfect day for throwing yourself out of the plane!! When it is my turn I am shuffled towards the door - there isn't much time to think about anything as I smile for the camera and then it is downwards (at about 120mph top speed). It is a bit difficult to describe the feeling - it is total sensory overload - the view is amazing, you could see from the east coast of the north island to the west coast. The snow capped peaks of Tongariro National park are cool as well. We freefall for 65 seconds before deploying the chute at 5000 feet. Then it suddenly becomes peaceful as we swoop down towards the landing. Actually at the point when the chute opened I got a touch of vertigo (not during freefall). We swoop down and make a landing at the airfield. Absolutely unbelievable experience - It is a few hours ago as I write this but still my brain has not caught up with what has gone on. I feel slightly discombobulated. Not bad for someone scared of heights.

It's too Orangey for Crows

It's just for me and my dawg.
Kia Ora means Hello/Welcome/How are you in Maori.

Run Chris, Run

After a nice lie in (first one of those I have had in a while) I spend a day wandering and checking on the weather to see if skydiving is going to go ahead in the next few days. It is all looking good for Monday so cross your fingers that the parachute works OK. After dinner I head into town with John, an english guy that I met at the hostel and we go and watch the All Blacks struggle initially against Canada but the game turns in to a rout. We head to a slightly more lively bar and start playing pool when we are approached by a couple of Kiwi girls. who want to play against us. One of the girls is absolutely paralytic - a couple of time she can't seem to find the white on the table and even starts cueing up on the yellow 1 ball. The other one is the sullen silent type in a similar way that you imagine Myra Hindley was (She was a mass murderer if you don't know). Most of the time the drunk one was incoherent except when she missed a shot and shouted mother f*cker out. Trying to engage 'Myra' in conversation elicited responses such as 'yeah' and the odd grunt. I have had better conversations with inanimate objects. We were polite and sat with them for a while and the drunk girl babbled inanely and appeared to be offended that we weren't chatting very much (bit difficult when you can't understand the slurring). We were trying to decide which girl was the more scary - anyway they went off to stagger on the dance floor and we saw our chance - thankfully we didn't have to try and climb through a bathroom window, we could leg it out of the front door - which we did. I checked periodically for tails but we got away cleanly. My sympathies to who they latched on to afterwards although 'Myra' should really have taken her friend home as she was a mess. I think the prospect of staying with those 2 is more worrying than throwing myself out of a plane at 15,000ft!

Dorm Rooms

Jun 16th. After my wonderfully exciting 6 hour coach trip yesterday (How I miss the car) I arrived in Taupo and checked in to the hostel. I have sorted myself out with a single room which doesn't work out that more expensive than being in a dorm (maybe 15NZ$ more - and well worth it). There were some interesting characters in the 4 bed dorm in Wellington - One guy who seemed to be nocturnal - he would be asleep during the day and then out at night (Vampire?!). Also there is usually a snorer, and a fidgiter as well (usually in the bunk above me). Also, what is with having a watch that you have it beep every bloody hour on the hour? Obviously the person who wears this watch sleeps through it whereas I being a light sleeper don't. It is really useful though as if I count the beeps, I can work out the number of hours of sleep that I didn't get - And do you really expect me to exchange pleasantries and be in a good mood in the morning.

Moving On

Jun 14th. I am heading North to Taupo tomorrow and will be hanging around there in an attempt to throw myself out of a plane and scare myself sh!tless. I will be filmed while in freefall so hopefully there won't be brown vapour trails in the sky. There is limited skiing on the South Island but I do need a heavy snow shower soon otherwise I won't bother. I don't really want to ski on artificial snow. I still have till the 22nd so we shall see. I can always whizz down from Auckland for a few days. I had a great afternoon nap today.

Mount Victoria

Jun 13th. Well, it is another pretty nice day in Wellington - for a city that is meant to get some pretty bad weather, it has been nice for the majority of the time I have been here. In the morning I revisited the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary and saw some of the common native birds and had a stroll around. I also went into the old gold mine cave to see some Cave Weta's - strange insects. After lunch got the bus and went to the top of Mount Victoria which gives really good views of the downtown city and also of the Airport - In fact it is really close to the landing flightpath so I saw a few big planes coming in to land (Plane spotter geeks take note). After all that excitement I got the bus back into town for a well earned cup of tea.

Random Animal Pictures #40

A Cave Weta living in the entrance of the Old Gold Mine at the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. These bad boys can jump over 2 metres with their spring loaded back legs.

Random Animal Pictures #39

A friendly NZ Robin at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary

When is a Cable Car not a cable Car

Jun 12th. When it's Wellington's Cable Car - It actually is a funicular railway and is well not worth the trip as there isn't much of the view from the top anyway. There are some botanical gardens at the top and an observatory which is meant to be interesting - shame it is closed for refurbishment. Not great really but these things happen. I went to the flicks yesterday and watched 'Zodiac' - Really good film and worth watching. The resort I want to go to is opening on Wednesday but it is mainly artificial snow so I am not sure about taking the chance and heading down there. The one thing I do want to do before I leave NZ is to throw myself out of a plane at 15,000 ft at Lake Taupo - fitting this in with skiing is looking tricky although everything is possible, it just costs money. I had a nice nap in the afternoon and have generally lazed around - I made myself a cracking curry - chicken and red capsicums (That is peppers in UK English). It is good having some down time - not a care in the world - I need to recharge my batteries for Fiji, US and Canada. Won't be doing much relaxing in Fiji as I will be spending lots of time underwater.

Come on Snow, I want to go Skiing

Jun 10th. I am pretty much doing nothing these days - just hanging around Wellington and hoping to get some snow on the South Island and the resorts openening so I can get some skiing in before heading off to the warmer climes of Fiji. 1 Ski resort has just opened although the snow is mainly artificial. I would like Mt Hutt to open as that would be my preferred place to head to (Although I won't be too fussy). I spent today downloading some things onto my iPod and trying to do some planning for USA - I at least have a hostel booked in LA now and I can catch a Dodgers game too while I am there.

New Zealand 61 France 10

Jun 9th. The day had finally arrived - I get to watch the mighty All Blacks on their own turf at the 'Cake Tin' - WestPac stadium in Wellington. The much anticipated drubbing didn't quite materialise as France took a 3-0 lead. Normal service was resumed though and Frances defence at times looked about as effective as the Maginot Line. The highlight of the game was when the Caveman (Chebal) for France dipped his shoulder into Ali Williams who was tackling him, Ali Williams came off a lot worse and was dazed and bloody which meant the end of his game. It ended up a bit of a clinic and it was a shame that it wasn't much more than a training exercise. Anyway it was a great experience to be there in a near full house. Pictures (Left) - The Haka, (Right) - Evans kicks off the match

And then there was one

Jun 7th. Today is the day that I officially become a solo traveller. Martin is off to Fiji from Auckland today and I am flying down to Wellington - I leave NZ on the 22nd for Fiji. We say goodbye to Jo, Louise, Bruce and Fudge who have looked after usWe also are dropping off the rental car today which has served us well - It will take some serious scrubbing though as it is filthy. The final distance is 9080 km (5675 miles). Not bad going as we had the car for 55ish days.

Picture - Fudge having a snooze in his spot on the sofa.

I am Officially a Criminal

Yes it is true. After Amanda's crime spree earlier in the trip, I have joined the ranks of the criminal element. My mum received in the post a speeding ticket which I got on the 20th April on the Otago Peninsula. I did 17 kph in excess on the Portobello Road between Camp Rd and Solar Terrace by Broad Bay. That will set me back 120NZ$. We only had the car for 4 days at that time. Oops.

The Queens Birthday

Any reason why it is a Bank Holiday for the Queens Birthday in NZ on the 4th June but not in the UK?

Administrative Tasks

Jun 6th. After a bit of a lie in - I had set my alarm to get up and ring my Mum but switched it off and went back to sleep as I was tired - eating a hearty home cooked meal will do that to you. We venture into the centre of Auckland to take care of some slightly mundane tasks. Martin sends some stuff back to the UK because he is too lazy to carry it for another week at a cost of 70NZ$. I get my haircut and also sort out revalidating my airline tickets for the next couple of legs of the trip. After that we head back to Martins relatives (after paying the exhorbitant parking fee of 25NZ$). We take the gang out to dinner (Fudge and Bruce excepted - Fudge because he is a cat and Bruce because he had a squash game).

Back Down to Auckland

Jun 5th. It is time to leave the Bay of Islands and say goodbye to some nice people we have met - we head back down the West coast back to Auckland where we will be staying with Martins relative for a couple of night - then Martin leaves for Fiji then the UK while I am staying on in NZ till the 22nd. We drive down to the Waipoa Kauri Forest which features some huge examples of these monstrous trees that some are in excess of 2000 years old. The God of the Forest is massive - 11 metres in diameter and also the four sisters are impressive to have 4 trees so close together - there root structure is on top of each other. We get down into Auckland and arrive at the correct address (despite some slightly dubious directions!) and are treated to some home cooking. Sweet As bro.

Pictures (Left) - The God of the Forest, (Right) - The Four Sisters

Dolphins!

Just when we thought we would be out of luck, A pod of dolphins is spotted by another boat so we close in (not for the kill) to check them out. It is awesome, a couple of them swim with the boat and some of them jump up for us as well. There is a mother and calf there so swimming is ruled out but it is magical as usual whenever these flipper dudes are around. We hang around for a while but have to leave but the dolphins chase the boat and jump in the wake for a bit before getting bored and heading off. Definately the highlight of the trip.

The Hole in the Rock

One of the highlights of the cruise is the Hole in the Rock. Quite literally a huge hole in an island that you can fit a ship through. So as conditions were good, we got to sail through the rock which was quite cool.

Pictures (Left) - The hole just after passing through it, (Right) - The entrance is on the left, Another cave is on the right.

Bay of Islands Cruise

Jun 4th. Thankfully the water looks pretty placid so we head out on a boat for a cruise around the Bay of Islands. One of NZ's iconic spots. We cruise around the islands trying to find some dolphins along the way and we venture through narrow points and out into the pacific ocean for a bit. No dolphins have been spotted as of yet. The weather is a bit cold but the sun is out.

90 Mile Beach

We drive down 90 mile beach - there are some old cars that have been stuck in sand and are getting submerged slowly which are quite cool. The beach is actually classed as a highway so all the rules of the road apply. Picture - View back towards the cape,

Te Paki Sand Dunes

After Cape Reinga, We head to the enormous sand dunes of Te Paki and the Streambed which runs down onto 90 mile beach. The dunes are massive and constantly shifting - some sandboarding action takes place as well.

Pictures (Left) - Person walking up one of the medium sized dunes, (Right) - The Te Paki Stream bed which runs onto 90 mile beach

Cape Reinga

Jun 3rd. Today is the day we head off to the Northernmost part of the North Island - Cape Reinga. It is a spiritual place for the Mauri as it is said that when they die, there spirits come here and leave this world for the next one. We drive up the eastern side of the Northern peninsula and see fruit crops growing, some big Kauri trees and some small harbours along the way. At the Cape, there is a lighthouse which we walk down to - it threatens to rain as we get there but it only lasts for a few minutes - then the sunshine comes out.

Pictures (Left) - View of the Lighthouse from the Car park - The Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet in the background. (Right) - View of Cape Van Diemens from Cape Reinga.

Diving the Poor Knight Islands

Jun 2nd. An early start for me - I get up at 6:20 and have a drive to Tukukara to get there by 8. The weather isn't too bad but will worsen later. I get kitted up and the boat heads out for the 45 minute journey to the Islands. The Poor Knights are said to be one of the top ten dive sites in the World according to Jacques Cousteau.
Dive 1 - The Tunnel, After a bouyancy test, we have to return to the boat to get more weight - with the extra thick wet suits it was impossible to dive down - It is much more tricky diving in the cold waters here - 19 degrees C. It was a bit of a shock jumping in but you soon warm up. After sorting out our weights we dive down but do so away from the wall of the tunnel as the boat had moved. This means that we have no reference and swim in totally the wrong direction. We eventually surface and get a tow in to where we should be and then do a quickish dive around. Not a great start really as we saw f*ck all.
Dive 2 - The Magic Wall. This time we go with a guide and it is an excellant dive, We see a huge Stingray, Some big Scorpian fish and some moray eels. Visibility is excellant - 20 metres plus. I do surface a bit earlier as it is a bit nippy but it was cool in both senses. It was raining when I surfaced so I got wet!
On the way back the weather had worsened so yes I was sea sick - wouldn't want to disappoint you vomit fans. Now I am off to the pub to watch the All blacks stuff France.

The Treaty of Waitangi

Right next to Paihia is the setting for one of the most important events in New Zealands history, The signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. This basically meant that New Zealand became a British Colony. There is the house where the treaty was signed and also the Maori meeting house where the leaders of the tribes met to discuss the treaty. Also is a war canoe (30 metres long) which is carved out of 1 tree. The grounds here are immaculate and there is a real sense of history as well (without overdoing it).

Road to Paihia

Jun 1st. After an uncomfortable nights sleep on a thin mattress over a hard surface it is time to head to Northland and go to the Bay of Islands area. It is quite a long drive to get there and we don't bother to stop apart from a lunch break. The traffic isn't too bad seeing as it is a long weekend in NZ. We check in to our hostel which is cool and Paihia is a nice little town on the Bay of Islands. Time for some Maori heritage things

Random Animal Pictures #38

This cat is called Furball - Pretty appropriate - She was like a big furry duster. She lives at the YHA hostel in Thames and seems grumpy all the time.

Karangahake Gorge

We reach our destination for the evening, the largest town on the Coromandel called Thames. We have lunch (Martin samples NZ KFC). We head to a gorge to have a walk around - there is some cool features here called the Pinnacles but it is too far to walk in just an afternoon. We walk and see some waterfalls from quite a way away and head through some more native bush before heading back to Thames. After dinner we watch Team America - World Police which is sweet. 'I promise I will never die'. Pictures (Left) - My shadow taken from a swing bridge, (Right) - Some waterfalls

Driving Creek Railway

May 31st. We leave Whitianga on the Mercury Bay and head round the Coromandel peninsula to Coramandel Town. A few kilometres north of here is the Driving Creek Railway. This is a small gauge railway that someone has built himself (over 27 years!) which twists and winds its way through the native bush and reaches a lookout point over the local area. The track goes over many bridges, switchbacks and spirals and is impressive that someone has basically done this for fun!.

Random Animal Pictures #37

The lucky black cat at the YHA hostel in Whitianga. Very noisy cat he is too.